Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Democratic Socialism. Here’s What You Should Know Before You Choose a Candidate.
Because I’ve been attacked multiple times for even thinking that Bernie Sanders might be just what this country needs, I decided to do a little research. I’m the first to cry “educate yourselves” when it comes to choosing a political candidate, so I wanted to be sure my thoughts about just what Bernie meant when he used the term “democratic socialism” were on point.
The first thing I want to share with you is the fact that socialism is not communism. Lots and lots of people are screaming about not wanting a communist country. They are so far off-base that they aren’t even in the game.
Pure socialism (which I do not support by the way) gives ownership and control to the community collectively, not to individuals. Oh, and Christians, get ready to be blown over like a feather, this is actually the way Jesus believed we should be, sharing and caring for everyone in our community equally. This was why a so-called Christian nation wouldn’t start out with social programs because individual communities were expected to do what we now have social programs to do.
Communism on the other hand is government ownership and control of everything. No one owns anything, not their home, furnishings or even their food. The government decides who gets what. Individuals don’t have any rights. This my friends is the big, bad wolf every American has come to fear and hate. And rightly so. Communism is as far removed from Socialism…even pure socialism as Capitalism is.
Capitalism, in its purest definition seems like nirvana and even with my current political leanings, still calls to my love of freedom. Capitalism, by definition, is a social system based on individual rights and freedoms, it has rules of law rather than following the laws of man. Economically applied it should result in a free market creating an economic system that allows for unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses.
Unfortunately, Capitalism has a dark side too. It tends to create a political economy rather than a free market. Rich, powerful people and companies use their money and power to stifle the competition resulting in monopolies and monopoly like situations. Many people and companies continue to increase their power and wealth on the backs of others without much thought as to how their employees fare. It’s the deep, dark secret of capitalism. The fact that the few succeed off the backs of the many. And since our current political infrastructure relies heavily on lots and lots of money to run campaigns, these same powerful people and companies have learned that by investing in candidates they can count on ‘protection’ of their way of life once that candidate is in office. Basically, they have found a way to buy the loyalty of elected government officials legally.
What does that mean for regular Americans in this so-called democratic capitalist country? It means it is not the people’s voices our elected officials are listening to, but the voices of the people and companies that bankroll their campaigns. This of course is not democracy, which we so pride ourselves on calling America, but instead painfully close to oligarchy.
So what is ‘Democratic Socialism’? Democratic socialism neither wants a big, government with all the power nor do they want the biggest, richest and most powerful companies to hold all the power. True democratic socialism wants the government to step in to gain equality with radical policy changes.
No matter what Bernie Sanders says, in reality, after looking at his beliefs and stands, I don’t see him as a true Democratic Socialist. He is however a Social Democrat.
What’s the difference? He’s not about the government taking over with radical, sweeping policy changes, but is more about common sense changes. Shifting the power in our government from the hands of the few rich and powerful to the majority. Making education for everyone a possibility. Giving everyone access to basic healthcare and safe place to live. If you research it, these could be called ‘freedoms’. Some of the same freedoms that our ancestors came to America to find.
Perhaps he should also say he’s about ‘responsible capitalism’ meaning that those who create success feel a responsibility to those who help them achieve it. A responsibility to the employees and communities that supported them as they grew their businesses. This responsibility was expected in the early days of our country but was quickly overcome by the greedy. Now greed is the norm and taking care of employees and giving back to the community is the exception.
Now honestly, if you’ve read everything I just wrote and you’re a logical human being who is not driven by fear, bigotry or party lines, that’s not so scary is it? In fact, I bet if you read this whole thing with an open mind, you may even be thinking those aren’t such bad ideas after all. And maybe. Just maybe now that you’ve gotten past the scary word you can see how it might just make sense for America. #FeeltheBern
By the way, I am a woman who believes Bernie Sanders is a better choice for us than Hillary Clinton. I’m 52 years old, a proponent for the rights of women, a business owner and mother. Ms. Steinem, I am not firmly in the Bernie camp because I’m looking for a man because it’s been a long, long time since I thought my self-worth was determined by whether there was a man in my life or not. In my 52 years I have learned a lot, and one of those things is that just because Hillary Clinton is a woman it doesn’t make her the best political choice for me as a woman. I have a feeling that’s the same belief that the strong young women supporting Bernie Sanders have realized too. Smart, thinking women know that it doesn’t necessarily take a woman to fight for their rights, something it appears Ms. Albright is unaware of.
